MORGANTOWN – By the end of Wednesday, the field for the 2026 WVSSAC Class AAAA state girls basketball tournament will be set, and three local teams will hit the hardwood to battle for two of the North Region’s spots.
Top-seeded Morgantown will welcome No. 8 Preston to the Rowdie Center while third-ranked University High hosts No. 6 Hedgesville across town on Baker’s Ridge. The winners of Wednesday’s contests will earn the right to play for the Class AAAA state championship next week in Charleston (March 10-14).
The Mohigans finished the regular season 14-6, without dropping a contest to any North Region opponent, earning them the top seed.
They’ve done so despite losing their top two players in juniors, Kayli Kellogg and Brenna Nelson, to knee injuries before and during the season.
MHS holds wins over Parkersburg, Nitro, University (x2), and Washington (x2).
Preston finished the season 10-12 and earned the right to host its first-ever regional playoff game on its home floor, which resulted in a 44-32 victory over No. 9 Jefferson on Friday last week.
This is the second-straight season the Knights have reached the point of needing one win to qualify for the state tournament, and they won’t back down from the challenge that MHS brings.
“It’s important for us to break down the barriers and walls in our own way,” PHS coach Brian Miller said. “It’s been over 20 years since we’ve hosted any kind of playoff, and usually once something is done, it starts to happen more frequently. Hopefully that’s the case here with us.”
Morgantown is seeking its fifth-straight appearance in the Class AAAA state championship game, and its second state title in that span, after hoisting the trophy in 2023 under Doug Goodwin.
University is looking for its second-consecutive appearance in Charleston. The Hawks fell to St. Albans in the 2025 state tournament quarterfinals last year and are eager to return.
UHS finished the regular season 13-7 with wins over Wheeling Park, Washington, and Woodrow Wilson.
The Hawks welcome six-seed Hedgesville from the Eastern Panhandle for Wednesday’s matchup without having played in the regular season.
“What pops from their film is the effort they put in when they play,” UHS head coach Sammy Lusk said. “They are never outplayed when it comes to effort. We have to match it or exceed it to be successful. They also throw some unique looks at you on defense, with a traditional man-to-man, but also a 2-2-1 run-and-jump in the half-court that has given teams some issues. In a game like this, you have to expect the unexpected.”
The Eagles sit one game below .500 at 10-11 after their regular season concluded and will need to pull off an upset over UHS to earn a spot in Charleston.
Both contests will tip off at 7:00 p.m. from the Rowdie Center at Morgantown High and the UHS gymnasium.
